Carton closing and printing device for cartoning machines



April 14, 1953 J. F. CURRIVAN CARTON CLOSING AND PRINTING DEVICE FORCARTONING MACHINES 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 12, 1949 INVENTOR John ECur/i van wv f fl Attorneys A ril 14, 1953 J. F. CURRIVAN CARTON CLOSINGAND PRINTING DEVICE FOR CARTONING MACHINES Filed Jan. 12, 1949 7Sheets-Sheet 2 l. l 1 l x I I I &

nvvmron John F Curr/van Attorneys April 14, 1953 J. F. CURRIVAN2,634,565

CARTON CLOSING AND PRINTING DEVICE FOR CARTONING MACHINES Filed Jan. 12.1949 7 Sheets-Sheet I5 IIIIIIIII/l INVENTOR John F Curr/van BMMJZWAttorneys April 14, 1953 J. F. CURRIVAN 2,634,565 CARTON CLOSING ANDPRINTING DEVICE FOR CARTONING MACHINES- Filed Jan. 12, 1949 7Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR V John E Curr/val? l 1 I I April 14, 1953 J. F.CURRIVAN 2,634,555

CARTON CLOSING AND PRINTlNG DEVICE FOR CARTONING MACHINES Filed Jan. 12,1949 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 I57 [29 eg 12 4 /6 r' J u [Lita ,63 ml 23 I4! 0 36EIEWIEIEIIEE =5 //v VEN ran J 0/10 F Carri van Attorneys April 14, 1953J. F. CURRIVAN 2,634,565

CARTON CLOSING AND PRINTING DEVICE FOR CARTONING MACHINES Filed Jan. 12,1949 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENT'OR John F Curr/van Attorneys Aprll 14, 1953J. F. CURRIVAN 2,634,565

' CARTON CLOSING AND PRINTING DEVICE FOR CARTONING MACHINES Filed Jan.12, 1949 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Fig. /2

\ v INVENTOR John F Curr/van MMM M Attorneys Patented Apr. 14, 1953CARTGN CLOSING AND PRINTING, DEVICE FOR CARTONING MACHINES John F.Currivan, Dayton, Ohio, assignor; by; mesne assignments to EmhartManufacturing, Company, a corporation of Delaware Applicationdanuary'12, 1949, Serial No. 70,454

21 Claims. 1.

This invention relates to cartoning machinesvor the like; andinparticular-to devices thereon for finallyclosing the end flaps thereonand printing on the cartons before they are discharged from thecartoning machine.

Theinvention is particularly adapted as an improvement in cartoningmachines of the: type shown in the United States application of Alexan-1 der I-L'Ross, Serial No. 731,395, filed February 27, 1947, andentitled Cartoning Machine. In machines of that type, flattened cartonsare fed from a magazine onto a transport conveyor where they are erectedto rectangular shape,

loaded with an article of merchandise, and onev or both of their endsclosed. on the transport the cartons are-moved in a directiontransverseto their end openings and the movement is smooth.

and-"continuoua- They are spaced one from the other along their path oftravel, and are moved along that path by fingers that protrude throughthe supporting surface of the transport, so thatuntil. the. carton havebeen discharged at-the end of the transportthey. are moved there alongat a constant speed.

One of the. last operations upon the cartons before theirdischargeisthefinal closing of the top or end flaps, which top or end flaps, ifnot secured in place by. adhesives, generally have tuck. flaps at-theirfree ends.. These tuck flaps areslipped into the ends of the carton.andretain thetop flaps. closed after they have once'been pushed to.

fully-closed position. Fixed devicesin; the. path of movement'of the topflaps andlattached, tuckv flaps. firsticrease the tuck flapswith respectto the top flaps andthen: turn. the latter towards closed, positionwhile guiding and inserting the tuck flaps. into the carton ends. Asdisclosed in the aforesaid application Serial'No. 731,395 after the.cartonshave passedthe tuck flaps creasing and: inserting assemblies thetop flaps are not fully. closed against-the end of the cartons and the.tuck flaps are. not fully inserted, and final closing is. accomplishedby pairsof freely, rotating rollers adjacent thepaths .of the ends.of'the cartons, which rollers successively engage the'top flaps: of themOVillg cartons: and: pres them to.

fully closed position.

The freely rotating closing rollers perform their intendedfunction.satisfactorily when the cartons are" fabricated of relativelyheavyweight cardboard. However; cartons formedv oflightweight orthin'cardboard react differently to the tuck flap creasing. andinserting .assemhliessand; arezfrequentlypulled out of their rectangularcons-- figuration.;. Thisi-out-.-oi.gsquare.condition is; fur.-

ther aggravated upon contact. of the .top flapaa I have. overcome thisdifficulty by theprovision;

of power driven closing devices, which in theilluse} trated, examplescomprise :rollereor chains that are driven at a ratefaster.thanthemovementnfxthe cartons. along. the transport; sothatthereres a suits. a wiping. engagement between 1 the; rollers; or chainsand the top flaps or the cartons. This; wiping engagement not onlycompletes the-solos.- ingv of the. topflap'over; the end; of'the-carton, but if the carton hassbeen deformed into angout' of squarecondition during the-tuck; flap-creasing and inserting operationthecarton is returned to; its normal intended shape;

It. is. frequently desirable to printcertaininformation: upon the endsof the cartons. E -x-.

amples of such information are-the dateofwexe! closingdevices, inorderto assure-that even in the..-

case of. thin walled cardboardfcartons; theiton, flaps will i becorrectly closed and, the. cartons properly formed tofacilitate theprinting.

It is accordingly the primary object ofmy i i-.5- ventionto provideimproved closing meansfor;

carton flaps whereby the top and-tuck-flaps are accurately andfullyclosed.

Another important objectof myinvention, is, the; provision of; combinedcarton c10sing.- and; printing means.

It is anotherimportant object to:providean im-;

proved carton flap closing: meanswhich will-not; deform fragile cartons;andn-which willurestore' proper configuration to. deformedcartons.

Another important object is--.the-provis ipn of a; powerdriven closing;device for carton flaps com-r bined with printing means. for printing.upon the flaps afterthey areclosed.

It is, another, import-antobject .to provide ime: proved flapclosingdevices for. cartonsiwherein thev ;c1osing:,devices have.a.--movem ent"in the same};

direction as the cartons but at a faster rate whereby a wiping actionbetween the flaps and closing devices results in accurate closing of thefiaps.

Other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds inconnection with the accomp y g drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of my carton closing device.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the device shown inFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of one of the closing assemblies of Figure2, as viewed substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the assembly shown in Figure 3, asviewed from the right thereof.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of another embodiment of final closingdevice.

Figure 5a is an enlarged sectional view along line 5a5a of Figure 5.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of Figure 5, as viewed'from the top ofFigure 5.

Figure '7 is an enlarged partial sectional view along the line 1-4 ofFigure 5, with portions behind the section line omitted for the sake ofclarity.

Figures 8 and 9 are top plan and side elevation views of one form offinal closing device combined' with a printer, and Figure 10 is apartial sectional view along the line Il0 of Figure 8; and

Figures 11 and 12 are top plan and side elevation views of another formof final closing device combined with a printer.

In Figure 1 is shown a portion of a cartoning machine of the type shownin the aforesaid application Serial No. 731,395. A transport base orframe l mounts a pair of spaced longitudinally extending table plates l3and I1 which form a planar surface along which the cartons l8 are movedfrom right to left as viewed in Figure 1. The cartons are moved along ata constant speed by fingers which project upwardly through the spacebetween the table plates. The rear or trailing wall of each carton isengaged by a pair of transversely spaced fingers i9 and 23, and inFigure 1 one of these pairs is shown beginning to disappear beneath thetable plates as the chains which carry them round the sprockets on theheadshaft which is not shown in Figure 1 but which is mounted within thebase I5 and is motor driven to drive the cartoning machine. A handwheel2| is mounted on'the headshaft for free rotation with respect thereto,but may be positively connected thereto for the purpose of driving themachine by hand during adjustments, etc. Although it may be said thatthe cartons are pushed along the plates l3 and IT by the pairs oftrailing fingers l9 and 23, they are also confined against these fingersby forward fingers 22 (only one of which appears in Figure 1) which arecarried by a central chain 23, also driven by a sprocket on theheadshaft. In Figure 1, only one-chain 24' which carries the trailingfingers 20 isshown, the other similar chain that carries the oppositefingers l9 being out of sight behind one of the two intermediate surfaceplates 25 and 26. A hold down bar 21 carried by an overarm 28 holds thecartons against the table plates so that they do not shift with respectto the table plates while they are being loaded with merchandise andtheir flaps are folded and closed etc. As described in the aforesaidapplication Serial Number 731,395, the compounds 29, 30 and 3!, and theoverarm 28 are adjustable, and the longitudinal distance between theleading fingers 22 and the trailing fingers I9 and is adjustable so thatthe carto-ning machine can handle cartons of various sizes within therange of adjustments. For that reason my improved final closing devicesand the printing means are also adjustable to accommodate cartons withinthe same range of sizes.

Referring still to Figure 1, five of the cartons 3 are visible to theleft of the overarm 28 and it can be seen that the two cartons closestto the overarm have their tuck fiaps 32 creased with respect to the topflaps 33, and the tuck flaps are by plows and other devices carried bythe comonly partially inserted into the end of the carton. A similarcondition exists with respect to the top and tuck flaps on the otherends of the cartons, although as will be apparent from the rightmostcartons in Figure 1, the top flaps 33 are bent downwardly and the tuckfiaps 32 are inserted adjacent the bottom carton walls, since theillustrated cartons are of the reverse tuck type.

It is the function of my improved closing device to fully press the twotop flaps against the ends of the carton, thus closing them completelyand forcing the tuck flaps completely into the carton, without deformingthe flaps or cartons, and in fact restoring them to proper configurationif they have been deformed during prior operations. As previouslymentioned, the device may also include a printer for printing upon thecompletely closed top flaps.

Referring still to Figure 1 which illustrates one form of my invention,a mounting plate 36 is se-. cured to the horizontal leg of an anglemember' 31, which is in turn mounted upon the face plate 38 of acompound 39. The details of construction of the compound 39, and of theother compounds shown, are not repeated here since they are fullydescribed in the aforesaid copending application Serial No. 731,395. Itis suflicient to state here that compound 39 is supported by a bracket40 suitably affixed to the outer side wall of the base [5 and that themovable parts of the compound, including its face plate 38 are adjustedhorizontally and perpendicularly towards or away from the center of themachine by turn ing the thumb screw 4!. This moves the mounting plate 36and all of the elements carried thereby, to proper position dependingupon the size of of bands, and which provide frictional engagement withthe top flaps of the cartons. Details of construction of the drive forthe drums 41 and 48 of Figure 1 are shown in Figures 2 to 4 and for thatreason are not shown on Figure 1, being out of sight under theprotective cover 49 affixed to the movable compound 39. Visible howeverin Figure 1 is a sprocket chain 50 that is trained over sprockets onshafts 45 and 46, over a tension adjustment sprocket and also over adrive sprocket that is driven from the trans-- port head shaft as shownin detail in Figures 2 to 4. The shafts t5 and at are driven clockwiseas viewed in Figure 1 and at such a rate that the peripheral speed ofthe drums 47 and 48 is greater than the rectilinear speed of the cartonsIS on the transport, the result being that the rubber coverings on thedrums exert a wiping action on the top flaps of the cartons, in thedirection that the cartons are moving while at the same time drum' iilpushes'the top flap slightly further towards closed position and thendrum 47 closes it stillfurther.

Attached to the bottom of mounting plate 36 by screws'fil passingthrough slot in the mounting plate is a vertical plate 5-: that extendsdownwardly and preferably rests upon the table plate 18 to giveadditional support to the mounting plate. The vertical plate 54 may beadjusted to be parallel to the movement .of the cartons so as to merelyhold the :top .fiaps closed, or it may be inclined with respect to theirpath of movement so as to complete the closing operation, thisadjustment being made by the screws 5! and their slots. Also, theposition of the mounting plate 36 may be adjusted in the horizontalplane by reason of the screws 55 passing through slots in the mountingplate and securing it to angle member 3?. This permits rotating themounting plate slightly to adjust the relative positions of the rotatingdrums ll and 38 with respect to the ends of the cartons. Theseadjustments are important, because depending upon the dimensions ofthecartons and the material of which they are made, adjustments of thedrums and of the plate 5% are needed to fit the particular situation, inaddition to the adjustment for carton length provided by the adjustablecompound 39. Another'vertical plate 56 may be secured to the mountingplate 36 in such position as to hold the top flaps of the cartons closedto the extent that they have been closed by the drum 48 and before theyare further closed by drum 41.

On the other side of the transport another adjustable compound 5? mountsan assembly that is identical with the one just described and hasclosing drums mounted on power driven shafts 58 and 59 directly acrossthe transport from the shafts i5 and 45. They are driven from thetransport head shaft in the same manner as shafts 45 and 53, by anotherpower take off of the type shown in Figure 4 but mounted upon the rightside of the transport base i5 of Figure l, the mechanism being out ofsight under the coverguard 69.

Figures 2 to 4 show another embodiment similar in most respects tothe'left hand closing assembly of Figure l, but wherein the twoassemblies on the opposite sides of the transport are identical, so thatonly one single power take off shaft El (Figure e) extendingtransversely through the transport base and protruding through itsopposite side walls 62 and 63 will drive both assemblies through bevelgears as shown at 6A and 65 in Figure 4. A sprocket 66 is keyed to thepower take off shaft El and is driven from the transport head shaft by asprocket chain 61.

Since the assemblies on the opposite sides of the transport areidentical, and identified generally of the reference numbers 68 and t9the description will be confined to the upper assembly 68 in Figure 2,which is also shown in side and end elevations in Figures 3 and 4.

The .adjustable compound i secured to the transport base 115 :by thebracket 11 and an angu-- lar memberhaving ahorizonta'l leg 12 is fixedlysecured to the face plate '13 of the compound.

A mounting plate 11 is .adjustablysecured .in a

horizontal plane to the leg :12 by the screws :14 passing through slotsin the plate. A pair :of shafts 7'5 and .16 are mounted .upon the plate11 for rotation about verticalaxes, by means of ball bearing assemblies.held :within housings 18 andiii that are afhxed to the plate 11. Figure3 shows for-shaft 1.6, how each shaft has a reduced upper end providing.a shoulder abutting the bearing inner race, the shaft being held-withinthe race by a screw 80 and washer 8I. Sha-fts i5 and zit zhave keyedthereto therdrums 82 and- 83 each of which iscovered with af-rictionalsurface as for example the rubber bands -841i. The shafts i5and 16 also have affixed theretqasibyset screws, the chain sprockets85and-85 respectively. .As in Figure 1, the *peripheral-surfaceoi' thedrums? is-slightly farther from the-ends-of the cartons than the surfaceof drum 82,-so that drum .82 will close the top *flaps further "thandrum 33.

The bevel gears '64 and (Fig. 4) are in "a housing 81 that is secured tothe transport base side wall 52 by means of screws *88, and a hearinghousing=89 secured to the housingBl mounts a pair of bearing assembliesthat journal ashaft 9D for rotation about a vertical axis, *the shaft9%) having the'bevel gear '65 keyed thereto. At

its :upper end the vertical shaft 9!] has keyed thereto a chain sprocket9| around which is. trained :a sprocket chain 9i. which also passesaround the sprockets 85 and -86 on shafts and 16, as well as about atensioning sprocket 93 mounted upon a vertical spindle 94 that isadjustably secured to the top of the side wallshows only an elongatedvertical back up plate- 54 following the rubber covered power drivendrums, the embodiments of Figures '2 to 4 em ploys a combination of backup plate'and freely rotating final closing roller. A vertical backupplate 98 is secured to a block'sflthat is in turn adjustably secured tothe mounting plate 11 by screws IEO that pass through slots in themounting plate so that the angle of the plate 98 with respect to thepath of the ends of the cartons may be adjusted. At its rear end, or theleft end as viewed in Figure '3, the back up plate 98 is cut away alongvertical and horizontal lines IDA and Hit (Fig. 3) so that thecylindrical surface of a freely rotatable final closing roller Hi6 canprotrude therethrough. The roller I06 is hollow, to reduce its weight,and is mounted for free rotation upon a stud shaft H]?! by means of aball bearing assembly [68. The stud shaft l9! protrudes through a slotI09 (Fig. 2.) which permits lateraladjustment of the roller .lllihand itis secured in adjusted position by nuts ill] (Fig. 4-): below themounting plate 1'! and .an acorn nut I ll above the mounting plate.

Both the roller I06 and the drums r82 and 83, extend to .close proximity.to the table plate L6,,

butthe back up plate 98 preferably rests upon the table plate, thusgiving additional'support to the mounting plate 11 without interferingwith the transverse adjustment provided by the compound 10. As in theembodiment of Figure 1, the amount of closing accomplished by each ofthe drums 82 and 83, by the back up plate 98 and by the roller I08 canbe adjusted by reason of the slots through which pass the screws 14,I00, and the stud shaft I01, it being understood that cartons of varioussizes and materials will generally require independent adjustment ofthese elements, and that another factor is whether the top flaps arehinged to the bottom wall of the carton or to the top wall thereof.

A cover guard II2 covers the sprockets 9| and 93 and most of the chain92, being fastened to the mounting plate 11 as by screws II3. As in theembodiment of Figure 1, the power driven drums 82 and 83 have a fasterperipheral speed than the linear speed of the cartons I8, so that theywill effect a wiping action on the carton top flaps. The back up plate98 has its forward edge II4 (Figs. 2 and 3) closely adjacent theperiphery of drum 82 and sufficiently behind it so that the carton topflap leaving the drum 82 will not get caught on the back up plate.Another backup plate II5 (Fig. 2) is secured to the mounting plate 11between the drums .32 and 83 by a screw IIG to prevent the opening ofthe top flap after leaving drum 83. This plate H5 is omitted in Figure 3in order to more fully expose the drums and chain, etc. to view. Asshown in Figure 4, a graduated scale II1 on the movable compoundcooperates with a fixed index mark II8 on the bracket 1I so thatsettings of the compound and the assembly carried thereby can berecorded for future reference when resetting the compound again forcartons of that same size.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate another embodiment of my invention whereinpower driven converging platform chains engage the top flaps of thecartons to close them fully and to return the carton ends to correctrectangular configuration if they have been deformed by previous tuckingor creasing operations, etc.

Referring to the upper assembly I2I in the plan view of Figure 5, a,generally triangular mounting plate I24 is pivotally mounted upon thecompound I25 by a screw I26 threaded into the plate and passing throughthe horizontal leg I21 of an angle bracket secured to the face plate I28of the compound I25, the mounting plate lying against the lower surfaceof the said horizontal leg, and having a transverse through slot I29 soas to enable it to clear the compound I25 and its supporting bracket I23(Fig. 6). Two other screws I30 and I3I passing through arcuate slots I32and I33 in the said horizontal leg and threaded into the mounting platesecure the 'mounting plate in any selected angular position around thepivot screw I26.

As shown in Figs. 5, 5a, 6 and '7, each of the shafts I36, I31 and I38carries two chain sprockets, all of the lower sprockets lying in thesame horizontal plane and having a driving sprocket chain I39 (Fig. 6)trained over them. Similarlyv all of the upper sprockets lie in the sameplane and have a carton engaging sprocket chain I40 (Figs. 5 and 6)trained over them, this last chain being of the platform type, whereineach link has an elongated face plate I4I (Figs. 5 and 6) integrallymounted thereon. Theface plates I are in a. vertical plane and theiradjacent vertical edges are in substantially abutting relationship whenthe chain I40'is travelingin' a rectilinear path. Thus each of thechains I39 and H40 each follows a substantially triangular path. Howeverin order to back up the carton engaging sprocket chain I40 while it isengaging the cartons between shafts I31 and I38 a hori zontallyextending track I42 (Fig. 5) engages the chain rollers. The track I42 iswelded or otherwise secured to a horizontal bar I43 that is suitablyaffiXed by welding or the like to the bottom surface of the mountingplate I24. If desired, the lower sprocket chain I39 may be trained overa track similar to track I42 and secured to the bar I43 below and inparallel arrangement with respect to track I42.

Referring to Figure '7, a shaft I44 is mounted in a bearing housingattached to the transport base side wall 82 by screws I45, and it isdriven from the transport head shaft I35 (Fig. 6) by a chain I48 andsprocket I41, the vertical shaft I35 being in turn driven by the bevelgear set I48. Of the two sprockets I43 and I50 on the shaft I36, onlythe lower sprocket I49 is fixed or keyed to the shaft, so that itthereby drives the lower sprocket chain I39. The upper sprocket I50rests upon the top of sprocket I49 and is free to rotate on shaft I35,although as will be apparent, it will rotate at the same speed assprocket I43 by reason of the fact that the upper sprocket chain I40 istrained over the sprocket I50.

Referring to Figure 5a the shaft I31 has a lower head I5I which retainsa lower sprocket 152 and an upper sprocket I53 that are journalled forfree rotation on oil impregnated bushings I54 and I55, the combinedaxial length of these bushings being slightly greater than the combinedaxial length of the two sprockets. A spacer Washer I55 overlies theupper bushing and the upper threaded end of the shaft I31 protrudesthrough the mounting plate I24 so that an acorn nut I51 can draw theshaft I31 up tightly and secure it to the mounting plate while thesprockets I52 and I53 are free to rotate upon the bush-' ings M4 andI55. The lower sprocket chain I39 passes around sprocket I52 and theupper sprocket chain I40 passes around sprocket I53.

The third pair of sprockets I60 and I 6| (Fig. 6) are journalled forrotation about the shaft I30 which has a single oil impregnated bushingI62 confined between a spacing washer I63 and an enlarged head I64 onthe lower end of the shaft. The upper end of the shaft I38 protrudesthrough an elongated slot I65 (Fig. 5) in the mounting plate I24, whichslot is narrower than the diameter of the shaft. The shaft is flattenedon two diametrically opposite sides so that it protrudes through theslot and can slide the length of the slot but cannot rotate therein. Amember which is U shaped, having upper and lower legs I66 and I51,connected by a yoke I58 embraces the mounting plate I24 as best shown inFig. 6, and has axially aligned holes through its legs having the sameshape'as the flattened upper end of the shaft I33, which protrudesthrough the legs I65 and I81 as wel1 as the mounting plate I24. Ashoulder I69 is formed on each side of the shaft I33 at the lower end ofeach flattened portion, and these shoulders limit the upward movement ofthe shaft through the leg I61. A knurled nut I10 is threaded onto thethreaded upper end of the shaft I38, and when tightened the shaft isfixed in any selected position along the slot I65 because the mountingplate I24 and the legs I66 and I61 are clamped between the nut I10- andthe shoulders I69 on'the shaft. Thus this arrangement provides anadjustment for the tension of the chains I39 and I48 which pass aroundthe sprockets I68 and IISI respectively. A bolt I'II having a knurledhead I12 is threaded through the connecting yoke I58 and its end engages'the edge of the mounting plate so that after the nut III! is loosened,the shaft I38 can be pulled along the slot I85 by turning the bolt "I,thus tightening the chains I89 and I98 to the proper tension, afterwhich shaft I88 can be locked in place by tightening the nut H9. Thesprockets I68 and IEI are free to rotate about the bushing after shaftI38 is clamped in place. Instead of being freely rotatable with respectto each other as are the pairs of sprockets on shafts I36 and I37, thetwo sprockets I58 and IEI are rigidly secured together as by Welding orthe like. Thus the driving effort of the shaft I35 is trans:mitted'through the chain I38 to the sprockets I69 and IBI of shaft I38,so that as viewed in Figure where the chains are moving from left toright along the track I42 there will not be any slack in the platformcarrying chain I43 between shafts I31 and I38.

In operation, the mounting plate I2 5 is ad- Justed, by means of theclamping screws IBQ and I3I, so that the track I 52 is closer to thecartons at its left .end than at its right end as viewed in Figure 5.The arrangement is such that when.

the carton top flaps are first engaged by the chain face plates MI thetuck flaps 32 are only partially inserted into the cartons, but by thetime the face plates MI recede away again from the cartons, indicated bythe point identified by reference number lit in Figure 5, the tuck flapshave'been fully inserted and the top flaps pressed flat against the endsof the cartons.

The diameters of the sprocket I47, bevel gears I48, sprocket Hi9 etc.are such that the upper sprocket chain I 49 and the face plates MIcarried thereby move faster than the cartons, so that the "face plateseifect a wiping action on the carton .top flaps in the direction ofmovement of the cartons, thereby squaring up the cartons and flaps wherethey have been deformed during the previous creasing and tuckingoperations. As best shown in Figure 6, the length of the face plates I4| forming the platform surface of the chain MD are such that theyextend almost to the top surface of the transport table plate I8,

and also extend an equal distance vertically upwardly above the chain MiIn this embodiment all of the chains and sprockets etc. are below themounting plate I2 i which thereby provides a partial guard for theoperator. For further-protection a pair of downwardly depending skirtsH5 and H6 (Figs. 5 and 6) and secured to the edge of the mounting plateI24.-

The assembly I22 on the other side of the machine (Fig. 5) for fullyclosing the other ends of the cartons may be of identicalccnstruction tothe-assembly I2I just described, and symmetrically arranged upon theother side, as will be understood. However, since there is more room onthe other side, due principally to the absence o'f-ahandwheel 2 I onthat side, the assembly I22 may be slightly modified to reduce thenumber of parts,'i-n the manner shown in Figure 5.

The vertical; shaft Iii? that powers the assembly I22 is arranged inthesame vertical plane as the transport head shaft I35, which isextended 'through'the side wall cf the transport base andprovidedwitha*bevel gear to drive a mating bevel .11 gear'on thevertical shaft I '59 in a manner similar to that shown in Figure 7, theshaft I19 being driven in a counter-clockwise manner. The other twoshafts I88 and I8I that are carried by the mountin plate I82 aredirectly laterally opposite to the shafts I38 and I8! respectively ofthe opposite assembly I2! so that the carton engagin platform typesprocket chain I83 will be directly laterally opposed to thecorresponding chain M8 of the assembly I2 I. 7

Due to the fact that the vertical drive shaft I19 is closer to theadjustable shaft I88 than is the case in the assembly I2I, it ispossible to drive the platform chain I83 directly by the sprocket I84 onthe shaft I'I9, so that no driving sprocket chain corresponding to thelower chain I39 of assembly IZI need be used, and no lower sprocketscorresponding tosprockets I49, I68 and I 52 of assembly I 2| arerequired. The single sprockets I85 and I86 on shafts I88 and I8Irespectively are thus merely idling and chain supporting and guidingsprockets to train the chain I83 over the track I81 which is directlylaterally opposite to the track I42. Chain I83 moves at the same speedas chain MB.

In the embodiment of Figures 8 to 10 the fln al closing device iscombined with a mechanism which prints upon the top-flap on one end ofthe carton after it has been fully closed so as to have support whilethe printing impression is made.

The compound I88 is adjustable as are all-the others shown in thisapplication, and described in detail in the aforesaid application SerialNo. 731,395. Its mounting bracket I89 fits over a dovetail slide I98that is rigidly secured to the side wall 62, and a gib I9I engages theunder side of the slide and clamps the bracket I89 against the slide bymeans of screws I92. This permits longitudinal'adjustment of thecompound I88 and the assembly carried thereby, lengthwise along thetransport base. It should be understood that the device shownin Figures8 to 10 is operative only upon the top flaps on one side of thecarton,and that final closing devices of some type, such as any of thosedescribed in this applicationmust be used to close the top flaps on theother side of the transport, or if the top flaps have already beenclosed on the other side, there must be a back up bar on that otherside, to keep the cartons from sliding transversely of the-transport dueto the forces exerted by the combined closing and printing assembly ofFigures 8 to 10. This assembly shown in Figures 8 to 10 isadvantageously substituted for the assemblies carried by the compound 39of Figure 1, I8 of Figure 2, or I25 of Figure 5. Also, if printing isdesired on both ends ofthe carton an assembly similar to that of Figures8 to 10 can be used on the other. side of the machine.

An angled member has its vertical leg I93 (Fig. 10) fastened to the faceplate I94 of the compound in any suitablemanner. The horizontal leg I95is bored for the passage of a bolt I96 having an integral knurled headI91, the bolt passing through a spacer bar I98 underlying the horizontalle I95, and being threaded through-fa horizontal mounting plate I99,whereby tightening-of the bolt I96 will secure the mounting plate to theangled memberand to the compound -I'8B for adjustment towards orawayfrom the cartons. A horizontal bar 288 is afiixed to thevertical leg583 in the same plane as-the mounting plate 199. Bolts 28! and 282 arethreaded through the bar 288 adjacent-its ends, asybest zs-nown'iniFigu-re 8, the threaded ends of-the' bolt engaging the I vertical-edgeof the mounting plate whereby they may be turned in one direction or theother to adjust the position of the mounting plate about the bolt I96,and to lock it there. Lock nuts 203 on the bolts 20! and 202 secure themagainst loosening after they have been ad- 'justed.

V The right end of the mounting plate I99, as viewed in Figures 8 and 9,is rigidly supported by a, bolt 204 passing through an arcuate slot 205in the mounting plate, through a supporting post 206, and threaded intothe table plate I6. A pair of rollers 201' and 208 similar to the roller106 of FiguresZto 4 are carried by bearing assemblies mounted on ahorizontal bar 209 which is adjustably secured to the under side of themountingplate 199 by a bolt 2 I passing through a slot 2 in the mountingplate and threaded into the said bar 209. The bolt has an integralknurled head 2I2, and the bar 209 may be moved towards or away from thecartons and rotated about the axis of bolt 2H3 to adjust the position ofthe rollers with respect to the moving cartons. This arrangement issimilar to the adjustment for the final closing rollers shown anddescribed in the aforesaid application Serial Number 731,395. A verticalplate 213 is suitably secured to the under side of the mounting plateI99, extending downwardlyand resting upon the table plate I6, itspurpose bein to hold the top flaps of the cartons in the position thatthey left the last preceding tuck creasing or inserting apparatus, sothat the partially inserted tuck flaps will not slip out of the cartonsbefore they are engaged by the first roller 201.

At 2I'l is shown a rotatable drum of conventional construction, havingperipheral grooves for holding removable type. The drum is mounted forrotation about a'vertical axis by means of a shaft 2I8 suitably fixed inthe inner race of a ball bearing assembly 2l9 that is secured to' theunderside of the mounting plate I99, theshaft 2I8 protruding through thetop of the mounting plate and having a chain'sprocket 220 keyed to itsupper end. A driving sprocket 22I is keyed to a vertical shaft 222 thatis mounted and driven from the transport headshaft in the same manner asshaft I36 in Figures 6 and 7. The sprocket 22I' drives the sprocket 220by a sprocketchain 223 at such a speed that the speed ofthe type 224mounted in a groove in the drum is the same as the rectilinear speed ofthe cartons sothat there will be no slippage between the type and thecarton top flaps while the printing'is being made thereon. Only onegroup of type elements 224 is shown in Figure 8, but the numberwilldepend upon the drum diameter and distance between cartons, as will beunderstood. Slack in the chain 223 is taken up by anidler sprocket 225on a shaft 226 carried by anarm 22'! adjustably mounted on a pivot post228that is threaded into the compound I88 and further supported by abracket 229. The arm 22'! is secured in any selected position'by .aheaded screw 230 passing through a slot-23l in the arm' 22! andthreadedinto the bracket l i h v V Ink for the type elements 224 issupplied bya rubber inking roller 232freely rotatable upon a verticalshaft passing through and secured to the mounting-plate I99 by an acornnut 233, the

surface of the inking roller being so arranged I with respect'to' thedrum 2I'I that the rotating type elements contact its surface andtransfer sufficient ink from the roller to themselves once ,for eachrevolution of thedrumz H. The inking 12 roller 232 has a flange 234whichis engaged by the top flange 244 on the drum 2I'I to drive the inkingroller at the same peripheral speed as the drum 2II.

The rubber inking 'roller also contacts and rotates a felt roller 235freely rotatable upon a shaft 236 secured to the mounting place I99 byan acorn nut 23! (Fig. 10). An ink reservoir is provided by aconventional adjustable drip type oil cup 238 secured to the mountingplate I99 and having a discharge tube 239 (Fig. 10) terminating justabove the edge portion of the felt roller 235, so that the ink drippingfrom the'supply in the cup 238 at a controlled rate'will fall upon andsoak into the felt roller.

A vertical backing plate 2M is fixedly secured. to or integral with themounting plate I99 and. depends downwardly therefrom into closeproximity or engagement with the top surface of the table plate I6. Itsfunction is to hold the top flap closed after it has passed the finalclosing roller 203, and it extends from a point adjacent the roller 298to the right end of the mounting plate. However, in order to permit thetype 224 to print upon the carton ends the backing plate is milled orotherwise cut away as indicated by the edges at 242 and 243 in Figures 8and 9, this also preventing interference between the top flange 299 ofthe drum 2|! and the back up plate, since as viewed in Figure 8 theflange would rub against the plate. Some of the cartons handled by themachine are such short height that they might strike against the secondedge 2A3 in the back up plate 2M. To prevent that, a bridge member 245is set into the face of the back up plate 2M, so that it is flush withits working face, and bridges the milled out portion between the planeof the drum flange 244 and the plane of the type elements 224. Also, tothe right of the second edge 243 the working face of the back up plate2M is milled out slightly to provide a depression indicated by thedotted lines 246 and 241 in Figure 9, so that the ink deposited on thecarton top flap by the type 224 will not smear against the back upplate. In order to provide a, gradual release of the top flap by theback up plate as the carton nears the end of the transport, a horizontalslot 248 (Fig. 9) is cut in the back up plate, and the portion 249 belowthe slot is bent gradually away from the general plane of the back upplate as best shown in Figure 8. This embodiment, wherein the finalclosing rollers 20! and 208 are not power driven, is suitable where thecardboard forming the carton is sufiiciently stiff so that the carton isnot deformed by the previous operations, and so that the carton tuck andtop flaps will not be deformed when engaging the freely rotatable finalclosing rollers. v

In the embodiment of Figures 11 and 12 the printing device is combinedwith power driven closing rollers of the type shown in Figure 2, so thatall types of cartons having different de-' grees of rigidity, etc. canbe handled with the assurance that there will be no mutilation of thetop flap and that the printing will be placed squarely upon the top flapof the closed carton.

The adjustable compound 25I is aflixed to the side wall 63 'of thetransport base by a bracket 252, the entire assembly about to bedescribed.

being capable of substitution for the assembly 69 of Figure 2 or I22 ofFigure 5, since the cartons [9 of Figure 11 are moving from left toright.

An angle member having its vertical leg 253 sameness T13 safilxedato'the facemlate-ZM of the compound as by screws' 255, has: a'horizontalleg, 25$ :ex- "tendingtoward'the cartonsv H3 and forming a support for amounting plate 25E,"which rests upon it nand-is adjustably :securedthereto by 1 screws .258 passing through slots 25% in .the ;=mountingplateand' threaded into the horizontal :leg. Closing drums 'Ziiiland'262 similar to the 'drumsBZ andflt of Figures 2 to 4 are mounted"for rotation by bearing assemblies 253 and 2% fixed to the mountingplate 251. Inorder to ubiingithe frictional coverings 255 and "255011the closing drums as close as possible'to the top' surface of the tableplate I1 and thus engageasmuch of the carton top flaps as possible, :thetable 'plate may have .a longitudinal recess .1251 "and the bottom endsof the drums can project down into the recess. Theshafts 259 land 210of-the closing'drums have sprockets 2?! and '212 respectively keyedtothem. A printing at drum 215 similar to the drum 2!? of Figures :3tell) is rotatably mounted upon the mounting iplateby a bearingassemblyi215 and the drum shaft 21'! has keyed thereto a sprocket 218. The

type held by the: printing drum is inked by a- =rubberroller 279 (Figurevl1), which isin turn inked by a felt roller 230 and an ink-reservoir128i, Iall 'inzthe "same 'manne'r as described in connectionwith-Figures 8to 10. The rollers 11219 ;,and'28il: and thereservoir-are"carried by 'the" mounting plate 2 51.

A vertical shaft 282 mounted in a'housing 233 qattached'to the side wall83 is driven counterclockwise'by .a connection to the transport head:shaft, in the same manner as shaft 535 of 7 ;Figures Sand 7,gand ithas-keyed'thereto a rsprocket 28 3. A sprocket chain'285 is trainedaroundsprockets 2H 212, 278 and-the driving 1 sprocket ;284as-well,as:around idler sprockets .285 andifi'haand-the relative'diametersiof the.;S,proc ke,ts-- are such thatthe peripheral speed fthe--frictionallcoverings on drums "26! and 262 is greater thanthelinearzspeed of the :cartons l5,- whilejthe peripheral speed ofthetype inithe -:pr inting drum 12l5is: the same as that of the cartons.The idler sprocket $286 is free y 'rc- --tatable ona shaft 283 (Fig. 11)threaded into the horizontal leg 256 of the angle member,'and .itsfunction. is to'guide :the chain 2&5 around the bracket 252, which isalso slightly cut away.

at 'zilil -togprovideclearance for the chain. The :other idler sprocket.28! .is for the purpose of adjusting the chain tension, and it 'is'freely -rotatable onashaft' 29tafiized to a horizontal :plate 29iadiustably positioned on top of the cartoningmachine basev by a screw2'92 threaded ;into the base. andpassingithrough an elongatedslot-5293.111 the plate 29!. This providesmeans :for adjusting the chaintension, as is required "when the assembly is shifted laterally to ac-:commodate cartons of :various sizes within=the 'ra-nge' of thecartoning machine, smce theshait 282 and sprocket 2B4 remainnxedduring-such adjustments.

A vertical back up plate "294 is adjustaloly mountedupon the mountingplate 25?,being secured by screws 29.5 to a blockwt which is :adiustablysecured to the mounting plate by screws 29?, passing through slots inthe mounting plate. vThe back up: plate holds the carton flaps closedafter they pass drum 282. At its lower edge the back up plate rests uponthe table plate .1? within the recess 25?. The back up plate 29 has awindow 29% through which the type .on the printing drum1i2l5 projectstoprint uponthe-carton :fiaps and' to'itheriright of'ithe window the faceof the back :up t-plate has za recess' 299 in its working -:face :sotthat'ithe' ink on the'flap will not-be smeared.

I have thus provided improved devices "for fully closing the top .fiaps,fully inserting the 'tuck flaps and printingion"continuously moving:cartons, in such manner that'the xcartonstare squared if previouslydeformed, and-so that" the top flaps lie flat against "the carton I endsto assure accuracy of the printing.

While my improved closing devices have been described specifically inconnection with the "final closing of cartons having tuck flaps, it isto be understood'that theyrare equally operable upon cartonshaving'other typesof :end'oritop flaps, for example upon"cartons.havingxnoituck flaps and 'havingttheir end ori-top .flaps:glued, in which caseimyclosing devicesrpress the'glued flaps againstthe carton and hold them 'there While the-glue or'cement'sets. Also,'while'the .prnting ro ler istnot'shown .incQnnectiQn-With 'the platformchain "embodiment illustrated .in

specific forms without departing from th-e spirit oressentialcharacteristics'thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to beconsidered in all respects as illustrative "and "not restrictive,

the'scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims ratherthan by the foregoing description, and all changes which -come withinthe meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore:intended to be embraced "therein.

What iszclaimed and desired to beisecured'by United. States LettersPatent is:

;l..In a carton ng'machinepa "base; .a'tr'ansport for continuously:moving :a "carton'along said base while it is loaded. stationarymeansfor part ally clos ng the end 'fiaps'of the cartons by frictionalengagement therewith, "saidvsta- 'tionary means producingiaslight'misalignment of the end fiapsmelativetothe cartons; and meansmovablein the direction of movement .of the cartons and operable 'by frct onal 'en- "gagement to complete the closing of the'carton end "flapsand .simultaneously correct any dexfo'rmaticn of the icartons resultingfrom the "frictional engagement with "said stationary means.

2. In a'cartoningmachinega base; .a trans- IDOT'G for continuouslymoving cartons alongv said base while their end flaps arepartiallyclosed;

:movable means mounted on said baseadiacent 'the path of the ends of thecartons and frictionally 'engageable with the end iflaps "of thetcartons to close "them; and means operative to drive saidimovablemeanstin the direction "of "movement 'of "the cartons -:at speed greaterthan that'of said transport whereby said. closingmeans exerts'awiping-action on the cartonend flaps ini-the direction of theirzmovement.

3. In acartoningmachine; a'baseya'transpoi't for continuously moving acarton along said'base with its-end flaps 'extendingin opposite direc-'tions transversely of said base; stationary means on opposite of saidtransport for creasing the tuck flaps and folding the end flapspartially over-the ends of the cartons while partially "inserting thetuck flaps; "movable final endfla'p "closing means mounted-on--said*base on "opposite '15 sides of said .transport in the path ofthe partially closed end flaps engageable with the end flaps to closethem; and means operative to drive said final closing means in thedirection of movement of the cartons at a speed greater than that f ofsaid transport whereby said closing means exerts a wiping action onthe'carton end fiaps in -the direction of their movement to correct anydeformation of said cartons or end flaps caused by said stationarycreasing and folding means.

4. In the machine described in claim 3, printing means arranged adjacentthe path of movement of the carton end flaps following said finalclosing devices and operable to print upon the end fiaps of thecontinuously moving cartons.

5. In the machine described in claim 4, said printing means comprisingrotating type carrying elements; and means for driving said typecarrying elements at the same speed as the moving cartons.

6. In the machine described in claim 3, means adjacent said finalclosing means for holding the end flaps in final closed position; andprinting means cooperating with said flap holding means and operable toprint upon the closed end flaps of the continuously moving cartons.

'7. In the machine described in claim 3, a stationary vertical'plateadjacent said final closing means and parallelingthe direction of cartonmovement, for holding the end flaps in final 1 closed position,'saidplate being provided with a transverse opening therethrough; printingmeans comprising rotating type'carrying elements operable to projectthrough said opening to print upon the closed carton end flaps; andmeans for driving said type elements at the same speed as the movingcartons.

8. In the machine described in claim 3, said final closing meanssituated on opposite sides of said transport being directly laterallyopposite to. each other to prevent lateral shifting of the cartonsduring the final closing operation upon their end flaps.

9. In a cartoning machine, a base; a transport for continuously moving acarton along said base while it is loaded and its end flaps partiallyclosed; final closing means on said machine engageable with thepartially closed flaps and operable to close them fully; means adjacentsaid :final closing means for holding the flaps fully 1 closed; andprinting means cooperating with said caused by previous operationsthereon.

11;:[1'1 the machine described in claim 9, said printingmeans comprisinga movable type carrying element; and means for driving said element atthe same speed and in the same direction as r the moving cartons whilethe impression is being made;

12. In the machine described in claim 9, means operative to drive saidfinal closing means in the direction of movement of the cartons at aspeed greater than that of the transport, whereby said final closingmeans exerts a wiping action on the cartonend flaps in the direction oftheir movement; said printing means comprising a movable type carryingelement; and means for driving said element at the same speed and in thesame direction as the moving cartons while the impression is being made.

13. In a cartoning machine, a base; a transport for continuously movinga carton along said base, stationary end flap closing means beside saidtransport for partially closing the end flaps and inserting the tuckflaps; movable final closing means mounted on said base adjacent thepath of the end of the cartons and engageable with the carton end flapto close it, comprising an element movable in a path converging with thepath of the end of the carton; and means for driving said element alongsaid path at a speed faster than that of said transport so that anymisalignment of the carton end flaps produced by the frictionalengagement between the stationary closing means and the carton end flapsis eliminated by the wiping action of the final closing means on thecarton end flaps.

14. In the machine described in claim 13, said final closing meanscomprising a rotatably mounted drum and said driving means beingoperable to drive said drum so that its peripheral speed is' greaterthan the linear speed of said transport.

15. In the machine described in claim 13, said final closing meanscomprising an endless element; means supporting one run of said elementfor movement in a path coplanar with the carton and converging with thepath of the end of the carton; and means for driving said element at aspeed greater than that of said transport.

16. In the machine described in claim 13, said final closing meanscomprising an endless chain; means supporting one run of said chain formovement in a path converging with the path of the end of the carton,said chain having elements attached thereto for presenting a smoothsurface towards the carton, and said driving means being operable todrive said chain at a speed greater than that of said transport.

17. In the machine described in claim 13, said final closing meanscomprising a rotatably mounted drum having a friction providingperipheral surface and said driving means being operable to drive saiddrum so that its peripheral speed is greater than the linear speed ofsaid transport. a

18. In a cartoning machine, a, base; a transport for continuously movinga carton along said base while it is loaded and its end flaps partiallyclosed; drive means for said transport; final end flap closing meansmounted on said base and movable in a path converging with the path ofthe end of the carton, comprising a drum mounted for rotation about anaxis perpendicular to the plane of movement of the carton and positionedfor frictional engagement with an end flap thereof; and means connectedto said drive means 'for driving said drum with a peripheral speedgreater than that of said transport.

19. In a cartoning machine, a base; a transport for continuously movinga carton along said base; drive means for said transport; closing meansmounted on said base and movablein a path having a portion convergingwith the path of movement of the end of the carton, comprising anendless chain having face plates arranged perpendicular to the path ofmovement of the end of the carton along said converging path;

and means for driving said chain at a Speed greater than that ofsaidtransport;

20. In a cartoning machine, a base; a transport for continuously movinga carton along said base while it is loaded and its end flap partiallyclosed; drive means for said transport; final end flap closing meansmounted on said base and movable in a path converging with the path ofthe end of the carton comprising at least a pair of drums mounted forrotation about spaced axes perpendicular to the plane of movement of thecarton in p t o s for frictional engagement with the end flaps thereof;means connected to said transport drive means for driving said drums atperipheral speeds greater than that of said transport; mounting meansfor mounting said drums on said base, said mounting means beingconstructed and arranged to adjust the location of each of said drumaxes transversely of said base in accordance with the size of thecarton.

21. In the machine described in claim 20, a rotatable printing drummounted on said mounting means in the path of the carton end follow- 18ing said closing means, for printing upon the closed end of the carton;and means connected to said transport drive means for driving saidprinting drum at a peripheral speed equal to that of said transport.

JOHN F. CURRIVAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,721,922 Roe July 23, 1929 2,064,200 Ford Dec. 15, 19362,109,590 Kimball Mar. 1, 1938 2,136,897 Thayer Nov. 15, 1938 2,224,716Anderson Dec. 10, 1940 2,242,304 Johnson May 20, 1941 2,367,684 MalhiotJan. 23, 1945 2,380,758 Hohl July 31, 1945 2,448,198 Tennent Aug. 31,1948

